A firearm sight comprising: a sight base; a left contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the left contrast geometry wall having a left operator end and a left firing end; a right contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the right contrast geometry wall having a right operator end and a right firing end, and where the left contrast geometry wall and right contrast geometry wall are tapered in position with respect to each other such that distance between the left operator end and the right operator end is greater than the distance between the left firing end and the right firing end; a targeting space located generally between left and right firing ends; a mounting interface attached to the underside of the base, and configured to attached to a top surface of a firearm; where the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that user intuitively adjusts the firearm such that the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall appear to the user to be symmetrical, equal in size and shape, and of a particular orientation, when the user properly aims the firearm at a target.
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1. A firearm sight comprising:
a sight base;
a left contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the left contrast geometry wall having a left operator end and a left firing end;
a right contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the right contrast geometry wall having a right operator end and a right firing end, and wherein the left contrast geometry wall and right contrast geometry wall are tapered in position with respect to each other such that distance between the left operator end and the right operator end is greater than the distance between the left firing end and the right firing end;
a targeting space located generally between left and right firing ends;
a mounting interface attached to the underside of the base, and configured to attached to a top surface of a firearm;
a plurality of discrete surfaces comprising generally the inner surface of the left contrast geometry wall, wherein each subsequent adjacent discrete surface, beginning with the discrete surface adjacent to the left operator end is slightly raised with respect to the previous adjacent surface until the left firing end;
a plurality of discrete surfaces comprising generally the inner surface of the right contrast geometry wall, wherein each subsequent adjacent discrete surface, beginning with the discrete surface adjacent to the right operator end is slightly raised with respect to the previous adjacent surface until the right firing end; and
wherein the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that user intuitively adjusts the firearm such that the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall appear equal in size, shape, and orientation to the user as the user aims the firearm.
13. A firearm sight comprising:
a sight base;
a left contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the left contrast geometry wall having a left operator end and a left firing end;
a right contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the right contrast geometry wall having a right operator end and a right firing end, and wherein the left contrast geometry wall and right contrast geometry wall are tapered in position with respect to each other such that distance between the left operator end and the right operator end is greater than the distance between the left firing end and the right firing end;
a targeting space located generally between left and right firing ends;
a mounting interface attached to the underside of the base, and configured to attached to a top surface of a firearm;
a mounting hole located on the base near the operator end, and adjacent to the mounting interface, the mounting hole in generally a vertical orientation with respect to the base;
a mounting screw configured to go through the mounting hole and screw into the mounting interface;
an elevation hole located near the firing end of the base, and the elevation hole in generally a vertical orientation with respect to the base;
an elevation set screw configured to screw into the elevation hole;
wherein the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that the user intuitively adjusts the firearm such that the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall appear equal in size, shape, and orientation to the user as the user aims the firearm; and
wherein the elevation set screw can be adjusted with respect to the elevation hole such that the firing end of the sight can be raised or lowered with respect to the firearm.
12. A firearm sight comprising:
a sight base;
a left contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the left contrast geometry wall having a left operator end and a left firing end;
a right contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the right contrast geometry wall having a right operator end and a right firing end, and wherein the left contrast geometry wall and right contrast geometry wall are tapered in position with respect to each other such that distance between the left operator end and the right operator end is greater than the distance between the left firing end and the right firing end;
a targeting space located generally between left and right firing ends;
a mounting interface attached to the underside of the base, and configured to attached to a top surface of a firearm;
a mounting hole located on the base near the operator end, and adjacent to the mounting interface, the mounting hole in generally a vertical orientation with respect to the base;
a mounting screw configured to go through the mounting hole and screw into the mounting interface;
a cavity located in the bottom of the base;
an extension arm extending from the mounting interface towards the firing end, and located generally within the cavity;
a left set screw hole located in the base, the left set screw hole located adjacent to the left side of the extension arm, the left set screw hole in generally a horizontal orientation with respect to the base;
a right set screw hole located in the base, the right set screw hole located adjacent to the right side of the extension arm, the right set screw hole in generally a horizontal orientation with respect to the base;
a left set screw configured to screw into the left set screw hole;
a right set screw configured to screw into the right set screw hole;
wherein the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that the user intuitively adjusts the firearm such that the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall appear equal in size, shape, and orientation to the user as the user aims the firearm; and
wherein the sight can be adjusted by rotating generally the firing end of the sight with respect to the mounting hole by adjusting the left and right set screws.
2. The firearm sight of
a left ramp located adjacent to the left contrast geometry wall, the ramp rising generally from the left operator end until the left firing end, and wherein the upper surface of the ramp generally borders the lower surfaces of each discrete surface that comprises the inner surface of the left contrast geometry wall;
a right ramp located adjacent to the right contrast geometry wall, the ramp rising generally from the right operator end until the right firing end, and wherein the upper surface of the ramp generally borders the lower surfaces of each discrete surface that comprises the inner surface of the right contrast geometry wall.
3. The firearm sight of
a left-side right triangle, visible to an operator using the firearm sight, formed by the right angle formed by the intersection of the operator facing surface of the left contrast geometry wall and the top surface of the left contrast geometry wall, and the hypotenuse formed by the intersection of the left ramp and the discrete surfaces that comprise the inner surface of the left contrast geometry wall;
a right-side right triangle, visible to an operator using the firearm sight, formed by the right angle formed by the intersection of the operator facing surface of the right contrast geometry wall and the top surface of the right contrast geometry wall, and the hypotenuse formed by the intersection of the right ramp and the discrete surfaces that comprise the inner surface of the right contrast geometry wall; and
wherein the hypotenuse lengths of both right triangles appear equal when the sight is properly targeted upon a target.
4. The firearm sight of
top legs of both right triangles appearing collinear and generally aligned with the target when the sight is properly targeted upon a target,
and the left-side right triangle and right-side right triangle appear equal in size, shape, and orientation when the sight is properly targeted upon a target.
5. The firearm sight of
wherein the means of attaching the right contrast geometry wall to the base are selected from the group consisting of adhesives, snap joints, latches, clips, retaining rings, pins, screws, press-fit, and interference-fit.
6. The firearm sight of
a left wall fixedly attached to the base;
a right wall fixedly attached to the base;
the left contrast geometry wall removably attachable to the base and when attached to the base, the left contrast geometry wall abutting the inner surface of the left wall; and
the right contrast geometry wall removably attachable to the base and when attached to the base, the right contrast geometry wall abutting the inner surface of the right wall.
7. The firearm sight of
an image of an isosceles triangle on the a left contrast geometry wall;
an image of an isosceles triangle on the right contrast geometry wall where the height of both isosceles triangles appear equal to each other, and the four base angles appear equal to each other when the sight is properly targeted upon a target.
8. The firearm sight of
an image of an ellipse on the a left contrast geometry wall;
an image of an ellipse on the right contrast geometry wall where both ellipses appear as circles with equal diameters to each other when the sight is properly targeted upon a target.
9. The firearm sight of
an image of a rhombus on the a left contrast geometry wall;
an image of a rhombus the right contrast geometry wall where both rhombuses appear to have equal length sides when the sight is properly targeted upon a target.
10. The firearm sight of
11. The firearm sight of
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This patent application claims the benefit of provisional patent application Ser. No. 61/609,435 by Michael Curry, entitled “Firearm and Airgun Sight”, filed on Mar. 12, 2012, the entire contents of which are fully incorporated by reference herein.
The present invention relates to sights for firearms and air guns, and more specifically to a sights with a contrast geometry.
There exists firearm and air gun sights in the prior art, such as post-and-notch sight systems. However these prior art sights may take excessive time to acquire the target, may be less precise, and less intuitive than necessary for a quick and accurate acquisition of the target in a potentially life and death situation.
Therefore, there is a need for a firearm and/or air gun sight that overcomes the above and other disadvantages.
The disclosed invention relates to a firearm sight comprising: a sight base; a left contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the left contrast geometry wall having a left operator end and a left firing end; a right contrast geometry wall extending generally upward from the sight base, the right contrast geometry wall having a right operator end and a right firing end, and where the left contrast geometry wall and right contrast geometry wall are tapered in position with respect to each other such that distance between the left operator end and the right operator end is greater than the distance between the left firing end and the right firing end; a targeting space located generally between left and right firing ends; a mounting interface attached to the underside of the base, and configured to attached to a top surface of a firearm; where the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that user intuitively adjusts the firearm to cause the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall to appear symmetrical, equal in size and shape, and of a particular orientation, when the user properly aims the firearm at a target.
The present disclosure will be better understood by those skilled in the pertinent art by referencing the accompanying drawings, where like elements are numbered alike in the several figures, in which:
Referring to
Referring now to
Referring now to
The sight 10 is secured onto the firearm through a mounting interface 14. In one embodiment, the interface 14 is configured for a firearm that utilizes a dovetail mounting scheme for sight attachment, wherein a dovetail mounting tab 90 is designed and shaped for a corresponding dovetail slot of a firearm. The disclosed invention encompasses the various mounting interfaces that may accommodate the numerous sight mounting schemes used by the different firearms. Accordingly, the designs of the mounting interface 14 and, in particular, the nature of the mounting tab 90, will likely be very different for different firearms, depending on the sight mounting scheme in question.
To secure the sight 10 onto a gun, mounting screw 94 is inserted through mounting hole 98 of the base 18 and screwed into threaded hole 102 of the mount 14. In the case of the dovetail mounting embodiment shown in
Referring now to
Referring to
Referring still to
In one embodiment, the inner surfaces of the tabs 22 and 26 may be smooth, e.g. without the angled surfaces 150 and resulting surfaces 25 and 29. However, due to the high angle of incidence at which the tabs are viewed, the color contrast between the color of the tabs and the color of the rest of the device can be difficult to discern, as color contrast is generally highly functional of angle of incidence. In such a case, a user may not be able to sufficiently distinguish the tabs from the base and the rest of the device, even though the tabs may be painted a bright fluorescent distinguishing color with respect to the rest of the device. Thus one solution is to implement the beveled surfaces 150, whose primary purpose is to make viewing surfaces of the tabs that are orthogonal to the view of the operator, thereby eliminating the high angle of incidence of the tabs and making the tabs' color highly discernable. This geometrically results in the surfaces 25 and 29 as a byproduct, owing to a stair-step effect. In one embodiment, the surfaces 150 may be vertical, so as to minimize angle of incidence of the user's view of the tab thereby maximizing color contrast. In another, the surfaces 150 my be angled 45 degrees slanted forward, to reflect more ambient light from above into the view of the operator, in effect trading some angle of incidence for better light gathering. Thus, one possible purpose of the insteps 150 is to reduce the angle on incidence for the viewable portion of the tabs, thereby increasing the color contrast of the tabs and making them more visible to the user.
In additional to the angular calibration required for windage, the device can be configured to adjust for elevation as well.
It should also be noted that the choice of contrast geometry need not be limited to a right triangle configuration of some of the previous embodiments, but rather can be any that provides meaningful or useful cues to the operator.
The means of distinguishing the contrast geometries may also be accomplished by modifying the surface quality or surface finish of the vertical walls themselves, with or without color enhancement, such that the contrast geometries are distinguishable by the surface treatment alone. Such means may include embossing, etching, stamping, chemical treatment, sand blasting, texturing, or any other treatment or mechanical adornment that visibly alters the surface appearance of the walls, including embedding mechanical serrations on the surface. Further, the modified surface quality or finish can be incorporated as part of a mold, should molding techniques be used.
It should also be noted that the base structure and contrast geometries need not be opaque, but can also be translucent. The base structure, for instance, may be partially or fully translucent, and the contrast geometries may be either opaque, partially or fully translucent, and with or without color differentiation (tinting). The contrast geometries may also be distinguished by a surface treatment, such as etching, embossing, stamping, chemical treatment, texturing, or any other treatment or mechanical adornment that alters the visible appearance of the walls, including embedding mechanical serrations on the surface. Further, such distinguishing surface features may be incorporated as part of a mold, should molding techniques be used. There may be a tactical advantage to having translucent qualities to the device (made of clear and/or colored tinted plastic for instance), in that the sight, being translucent, provides for greater target visibility of what lies behind the sight structure.
The ramps 54, 62 may be a manufacturing by-product of the goal to make the tabs removable. In an embodiment needing slot structures into which to insert the tabs, the ramps exist principally because there are wall thickness limitations (e.g. minimum wall thicknesses) for most manufacturing methods. Because the slots need an outer wall, and that wall could only be so thin, the ramps are a natural outcome of the slot structure by serving as the outer wall for the slots. Further, the ramps may serve as a useful visual cue as well.
The disclosed invention has many advantages. One advantage is that the left and right contrast geometry walls each have an inner surface that has a visually contrasting appearance such that the user intuitively adjusts the firearm to cause the contrast geometry on the left wall and the contrast geometry on the right wall to appear symmetrical, equal in size and shape, and of a particular orientation, when the user properly aims the firearm at a target. For instance, if the left contrast geometry is a right triangle, and the right contrast geometry is a right triangle, the user will tend to adjust the firearm so that the two right triangles will appear as mirror images of each other with equal length legs and hypotenuses, and the angular orientation of the two right triangles are generally equal in a mirror image fashion. The disclosed firearm sight takes advantage of the mind's natural inclination to seek and establish symmetry. The firearm sight provides generally continuous, proportional, wide-angle “depth axis” visual cues. The sight's alignment orientation may be easily assessed with peripheral vision. The firearm sight provides easily discerned cues while the operators are focused on the target rather than the sight. The disclosed firearm sight offers faster, more precise, and more intuitive target acquisition capability than traditional post-and-notch sight systems by providing enhanced, geometric-based sight alignment information derived by incorporating depth axis (z axis that may be co-axial to the barrel) visual indicators of off-alignment direction and magnitude. The net effect of this device is to provide continuous, proportional, wide-angle, and intuitive visual indicators of the firearm alignment with respect to the operator's view and the target. The visual indication is a direct result of the three-dimensional geometry changes that occur when the firearm alignment is moved on and off target alignment. Alignment correction is proportionally and intuitively suggested by differences in the relative shapes and orientations of the contrast geometries. The system takes advantage of the human mind's natural ability to process three-dimensional orientations using depth perception, and to seek symmetry and balance in simple adjacent geometric shapes. In this way, the system seeks to provide maximum targeting capability and situation awareness to the operator while minimizing the cognitive effort required. When the operator's view of the sight is in proper alignment with the firearm, a particular and symmetrical desired geometric reference shape will come into view. This is an indication that the firearm is properly aligned with the operator's view, and will be properly aimed at a target positioned direction above and between the contrast geometries. However, when the operator's view of the sight is not in proper alignment with the firearm, the contrast geometries will be distorted from the desired reference shapes as determined by an off-axis three-dimensional translation of the shapes into the operator's two-dimensional plane of view. For instance, misalignment of the operator's view about the horizontal plane will cause the geometric shapes on the left and right sides to assume different sizes and shapes that are asymmetrical with respect to each other. Similarly, misalignment of the operator's view about the vertical plane will cause the geometric shapes to assume different vertical properties, such as non-colinearity of the otherwise collinear legs of the triangles (e.g. the top legs of the triangle will form a convex or concave orientation, depending on whether the operator is sighting too high or too low.) In seeking to re-establish the desired symmetries and properties of the reference geometry as viewed by the operator, the operator will naturally and intuitively adjust the firearm alignment until the desired symmetries are met. For instance, alignment about the horizontal plain will be adjusted to achieve shape symmetry (equal sizes and shapes) of the left and right translated reference geometries, in this case triangles. Similarly, alignment about the vertical plane will be adjusted to achieve the desired vertical reference geometry, in this case co-linearity of the tops of the translated triangles. In this manner, the operator will seek to orient the firearm in proper alignment with his sight view and the target of interest. This is particularly useful when the operator must properly align the firearm and acquire the target quickly, and can begin proper alignment of the firearm as it is being brought into position by acquiring a peripheral view of the sight and its contrast geometries early. The operator will naturally and intuitively orient the firearm in a correct alignment during the drawing phase by striving early on to achieve and sustain the correct reference geometry of the sight. As the firearm approaches its correct operating position, the natural tendency to acquire symmetrical reference geometries will cause the operator to make quick last second corrections to achieve proper firearm alignment with little cognitive thought. An additional advantage of the proposed sighting system comes about in consideration of the operator's natural eye focusing instincts. It is well known in the art that proper aiming technique requires the operator to bring the front sight into focus (e.g. the front sight should be optically focused by the operator) while aiming, causing the rear sight and (more importantly) the target to be out-of-focus, or blurry. While this may indeed be the best technique for aiming in a static target situation (e.g. competition target shooting) it is highly unlikely that, in a real tactical or defensive situation, the operator will maintain a focus in this manner. Rather, it is far more likely that the operator will maintain a focus on the target, i.e. the object of threat. The result is that the sighting system will generally be out-of-focus in tactical situations. In traditional “dual plane” sighting systems, the operator will likely have a difficult time assessing firearm alignment while the sighting system is out-of-focus and his attention is on the threat and not the sight. The present device overcomes this limitation by providing highly suggestive and easily discerned visual cues even while the attention of the operator is on the target (rather than the sights) and the sights are out-of-focus.
It should be noted that the terms “first”, “second”, and “third”, and the like may be used herein to modify elements performing similar and/or analogous functions. These modifiers do not imply a spatial, sequential, or hierarchical order to the modified elements unless specifically stated.
While the disclosure has been described with reference to several embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes may be made and equivalents may be substituted for elements thereof without departing from the scope of the disclosure. In addition, many modifications may be made to adapt a particular situation or material to the teachings of the disclosure without departing from the essential scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that the disclosure not be limited to the particular embodiments disclosed as the best mode contemplated for carrying out this disclosure, but that the disclosure will include all embodiments falling within the scope of the appended claims.
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